In the News section, there’s a whole heap of great events to ease you into February. Check out articles on NARC.’s Stockton Calling line-up announcement;Wozniakat The Cumberland Arms; A Festival. A Parade at Sage Gateshead; Broken Brass Ensemble at Cobalt Studios; Wandering Oak fifth birthdaycelebrations; The Lemon Twigs at Riverside; Serious Sam Barrett at The Waiting Room; Leif Erikson at Independent; Alt-Shift-J event at Middlesbrough Town Hall; Wrekmeister Harmoniesat Trillians;International Teachers of Pop at The Cluny; Chvrches at O2 Academy and much more.

In the Culture pages, we find out more about the Art 50 Weekenderat BALTIC and Sage Gateshead; speak to poet and comedian Kate Fox about her Where There’s Muck, There’s Bras show, coming to various venues in February and March; plus there’s Profiles on filmmaker Georgia Batesand theatre maker Luca Rutherford; articles on Dave Johns in Newton Aycliffe and Northallerton; Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at Sunderland Museum; No Miracles Here at Gala Theatre & Northern Stage; Matt Forde at Darlington Hippodrome; Approaching Empty at Live Theatre; Glenn Woolat The Stand; Screenage Kicksat Assembly Rooms; Bacon Knees & Sausage Fingers at Alphabetti; Maximo Parkfilm screening at Tyneside Cinema and much more.

Our writers have been busy chatting to a host of interesting folks this month. Damian Robinson talks to genre-hopping band Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestraabout baring heart and soul on their new album; Ali Welford talks to Scottish singer-songwriter Kathryn Joseph about her remarkable rise to fame; Austin Tweddle chats to Demob Happy’s Matt Marcantonio as the band bring their stylish sleaze rock back to the city where it all began; Johnathan Ramsay talks to alt. folk duo Tall Shavesabout their debut EP; Becca Fergus talks to Aussie fuzzy psych-rockers Psychedelic Porn Crumpets ahead of their debut Newcastle gig; Laura Doyle talks to queer pop punks Queen Zeeabout DIY values, breaking down gender barriers and unleashing their debut album; The Fishery Commission tell Mark Corcoran-Lettice about their debut album, which has been over a decade in the making and the award-winning Teesside folk band The Young’Uns tell Damian Robinson the extraordinary tale of real-life hero Johnny Longstaff. Compiling our Mixtape, comedian Lauren Pattison waxes lyrical about her favourite songs.